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A lesson learned about war in a simple mission to take down a supply convoy.

"Pylon of Efficacy - Supplies Raid"

Road in the Land of Fire

Southern Pathway [Land of Fire]
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The pathway diverts from the normal paths revealing a narrow path which leads south towards a great river set further down south. The trees here are big and the bushes are thick, the perfect display of nature is seen within this area. Further south the path forms a s-bend towards the east.
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Contents:
Yuuka
Shintaro
Tsiro (Logger)
Exits:
South - (S) [Southern Pathway]
North - (N) [Forest Pathway]
Along the Southern Pathway headded toward Konohagakure, a large horse-drawn caravan races. Its pace is definitely not one a caravan would usually set for itself. This one is trying to hurriedly get supplies to the village without getting caught by Kirigakure shinobi. Its driver is determined he will make it successfully. He has never been late or delinquent on a delivery, and he won't start now!
Standing ontop of the caravan, Konohagakure has a little insurance on this load, Nara Shintaro. A black mask covers his face, his eyes cold as ice as he looks around the path, searching for enemies. His breaths are as growls, his stance firm. He still wants blood. "Come on," he growls out. "You better know right where you're going! I don't have time to watch the road for you!" His words are harsh, the former smooth diplomatic voice he once carried gone.

Kirigakure had gathered knowledge of the enemy's war supply efforts, including of the caravan that is scheduled to make its delivery on this very day. No doubt it was going faster than it normally would have, considering what it carries, though it matters little. Shinobi from the Land of Water wait patiently among the thick tree branches as the last of the day's sunlight begins to fade, the lit lanterns attached to the wagons swaying with the rocking back and forth, making it an easy target. Perched on one of the branches, Yuuka narrows her dark aquamarine eyes as she feels the caravan approaching, sensing the driver and one other person. If there was anyone trailing them, they were off a great deal away, out of range of the kunoichi's sensory abilities.

On a tree branch next to Yuuka would be none other than Tsiro. After his last mission, he seemed excited to be going after another caravan. The boy's hand remained in his pocket. It was holding onto the end of a kunai. His grasp was tight on the metal. He was prepared to launch the attack at a moments notice. As the caravan came into view, his eyes would follow it. They remained focused on the driver and the one wearing the black mask. The boy was nearly trembling with anticipation. The excitement was almost killing him.

As he looks around, Shintaro emits a groan of a sigh. It's almost as if he WISHES someone would attack the caravan. Of course, that's not something he'd say outloud. The Chuunin has been rather irrational of late, his normal kind, diplomatic demeanor turned into a bloodthirsty soldier. He brings his hands up into seals, his shadow beginning to link with those of the wrinkles in the caravan's cloths and those along its side cast by the wagon itself
and the trees. One would almost think he's hearing voices in his head by this craving for blood he's had.

Yuuka waits until the caravan on the horizon nears, silent and still for several moments before she shifts her weight forward and simply falls, landing with bent knee as the impact is absorbed through her legs and into the soft earth road. Knowing that Tsiro would follow her lead, the Kaguya kunoichi narrows her aquamarine eyes at the approaching caravan as the cool breeze tugs at pale strands of snow white hair. "Abandon your supplies here and flee, or die by my hand trying to protect your cargo." Yuuka murmurs with a low voice, "Not that I really care either way." Already one of her hands reaches up to tug at the collar of her kimono, slipping the fabric away to reveal more of her pale flesh and the diamond-hard bone that completely encases the kunoichi's chest. Both sleeves soon fall away from her arms, hanging limply by her sides.

Tsiro would move down from the tree, but he would not follow her out into the open. He would move along the bushes to make sure he was ahead of the caravan should the driver try to get away. He would reach into his pocket and pull out two kunai. His eyes looked directly towards the driver then the horses. This would be a complicated decision. He would scan back towards Yuuka. Despite having never seen his sensei disrobed, now was not the time to stare. 'Focus. Secure the caravan.' The boy thought to himself.

As the Yuuka lands on the dirt road, Shintaro looks her way, his eyes narrowing slightly at her sight. One might think the sight of a disrobed woman would distract him, but his focus seems unwavered "Ahead!" he calls out, but that seems to be more like an order than a warning. As he brings his hands into seals, it's obvious he's not warning the caravan to stop. He's ordering them to keep going despite the Kaguya. As his hands move through seals, he begins firing bullets of fire out of his mouth at her, intending to either blast her aside with a wave of fire or make her move.

Yuuka narrows her gaze slightly, "So be it then. That was your only warning." Shifting her weight to one foot, she dashes straight towards the head of the caravan as bullets made of flames flies towards her. The kunoichi twirls smoothly to the right and dodges the array of fire bullets, pushing more speed through her legs to suddenly leap up into the air above the first cart of the caravan. In midair, the sharp points of several dozen bones breaks through her flesh, at her shoulders, elbows, along the spine, among many other points. The vision of her decending from above is truly terrifying.

Tsiro would continue to move along the bushes. The caravan had responded just as he thought it would. As he hears the shouts he grips the kunai tighter. His knuckles white on them. He finally found his spot. He would wait a few moments longer before revealing himself. He was hoping to get a slight amount of distance between the leaf shinobi and the driver. His eyes would lock on the driver of the caravan. This guy would become the likely target of his kunai.

Watching as the Kaguya woman leaps up and descends down on the caravan, Shintaro moves his hands into a seal once more. As she shifts into a different form, so does he. Shadows crawl up his body, encasing his entire form as he links with the shadows all around him, creating a large radius of shadow around him. "Slave of the Mist, you will descend into darkness!" he growls out as he steps forward into a stance, his shadow beginning to creep toward hers.

The corner of her lips tugs with a slight smirk, "Sounds like fun. How about you go with me?" Yuuka murmurs just before she attempts to land right on top of the shinobi, both of her hands extended out in front of her and empty of any apparent weapon. Though if she does this right, Yuuka knows she'll have Shintaro stunned for a brief moment. But that is all she will need.

There was a small growl as Tsiro sees that the leaf shinobi isnt exactly leaving the caravan. He decides to toss his two kunai directly at the driver. After whipping both of them, the boy would reach into his pocket and pull out a dagger forged of bone. Holding the Epigaea dagger in his hand, he boy makes his move. He would leap out of the bushes and jump towards the front seat. He would aim a swipe of his dagger at the driver had the kunai missed.

"I'm already there," Shintaro growls out, shadows hardening around him. While he doesn't move far to dodge the woman, whatever she tries to plant on him simply bounces off him. Just as he is about to attack her, he spots the boy leaping out of the bushes out of the corner of his eye. "Allow me to take you there," he says before flickering to end up directly in front of the boy, the kunai simply bouncing off him. As the boy reaches the cab with his dagger, it is met with the hardened form of the Nara. His shadow pretty much already there, he attempts to latch it onto Tsiro's and freeze him in place.

Though Yuuka isn't surprised that the straight-forward assult was inaffective with this shinobi, she narrows her eyes sharply, pushing off of his shoulders to leap backwards in a twist through the air. The kunoichi lands on her feet in a slight crouch not even a moment after. With Shintaro's focus now on the exposed Tsiro, her chest tightens and a dark growl curls at her top lip, "Big mistake." Yuuka flickers with sudden speed once more as she dashes straight towards the Konoha shinobi, extending both of her open palms to plant her bone seedlings once more. Defense or not, she will get through it.

'Holy Crap!' Tsiro thinks to himself as the leaf shinobi appears infront of him. His eyes are wide as suddenly he cannot move his body. His pupils would move to the corner of his eyes. He had hoped that Yuuka would take down the driver, but instead she comes towards the leaf shinobi. There is no doubt she knows what she is doing. He waits to get free so he can go attack that driver.

As the seedlings bounce off his hardened shell once again, Shintaro chuckles a bit. "Your efforts are futile," he says as he moves his hands through seals. "My guess is that this boy is important to you," his cold, growling voice rings out as a hand of shadow trails up Tsiro's body to his throat, intending to grab him and choke the fight out of him. "You might live, but, if you don't let this caravan be and go your way, I will kill him just as you bastards killed the person most important to me."

Bouncing off of the shield the shinobi encased himself in, Yuuka lands on the wagon a few feet back as her lip curls with obvious disgust at Shintaro. Whoever it was that he had lost, it drove him off the deep end if he considered harming a defenseless genin. A silent moment passes, the cool wind sweeping through her snow white hair before the kunoichi straightens her back and allows her arms to relax at her sides. The bones slowly retract and disappear beneath her flesh once more, fading completely without a hint that they had pierced from inside of her. "So be it." her voice growls, "Though keep in mind that you are not the only one that has lost loved ones in one war or another… this is the life of the shinobi, after all…"

As the shadows creep up his neck, Tsiro's eyes watch as his sensei gives in to the bluff. There is a moment of disbelief. All of his training seemed to be for nothing. The boy felt merely like an anchor keeping a ship somewhere as it tried to sail away. "Threatening to kill a child if your mission doesnt succeed. You should join our village.", the boy states as he still seems to have trouble pondering what's going on.

"That may be," Shintaro says, looking to Yuuka. He looks back and forth between the two Kaguya, the enraged Chuunin cooling his brain for a moment to remember that he has to get the caravan to the village. "But it doesn't change anything, even if she would hate who I've become." With that, the Nara flickers, reappearing ontop of the wagon. He drops his hands, releasing his hold on Tsiro's shadow. "… Leave."

"It should mean everything." Yuuka murmurs lightly in reply, her aquamarine gaze narrowed on Shintaro's movements should the thought cross his mind to do otherwise. As Shintaro flickers and reappears at the top of the first wagon, her expression hardens for a split moment before she glances over her shoulder at Tsiro, accessing his current state to then turn and jump off of the wagon. After her student leaps from the wagon, she murmurs without a glance behind her, "Do not think that there are not others after this cargo as well." Yuuka reaches down to grip at Tsiro's shoulder, only for both to flicker and disappear a moment later.